Trial extended to August 9, Slight changes to trial will be in place for Tuesday AM’s commute

BOSTON – Friday, July 26, 2013 – MassDOT will be making minor adjustments to the congestion relief trial at I-90/I-95 interchange in Weston. The minor adjustments will be made Monday night into Tuesday morning (July 30), weather permitting, and are based on staff observations and feedback from customers. MassDOT will be installing better signage and repositioning the location on the lane closure slightly further south on I-95 Northbound, closer to Exit 23-24-25.

In an effort to develop low-cost bottleneck solutions, MassDOT consulted both the Federal Highway Administration and the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization. Analysis confirmed the primary source of congestion at the I-90/I-95 interchange in Weston are the multiple merge points. The bottleneck builds as traffic from I-90 and Route 30 merge onto I-95 Northbound. To address this bottleneck, MassDOT will be closing the right lane on I-95 Northbound through a temporary tapered lane closure, just north of the I-95 NB Exit 23-24-25.

Currently, I-95 NB is four lanes wide with the right-most lane carrying thru traffic and vehicles that are merging onto I-95 NB from the Mass Pike and Route 30. This double-merge point causes traffic to back up through the Toll Plaza and onto I-90.

By closing the right lane to I-95 NB travelers, it becomes a dedicated lane for MassPike/Route 30 travelers to merge onto I-95 NB.

A third of all traffic on I-95 NB exits at Exit 23-24-25, and a recent traffic count showed 10 percent of vehicles continuing north on I-95 utilize the right lane. During the trial period, thru traffic on I-95 Northbound should stay to the left. Hesitation is common around new traffic patterns and public awareness will be key.

The trial began on July 17th and has been extended to August 9. During the test, MassDOT will be collecting information to ensure that the new configuration reduces congestion levels as predicted. If the trial period proves successful, MassDOT will make the changes permanent by installing new signs and new lane markings later this summer.